Years in the making, a lands package with a number of sections relevant to the Uintah Basin is on its way to President Trump’s desk. S. 47, the Natural Resources Management Act, was passed by the House of Representatives on Tuesday, moving forward a piece of legislation that expands access to public lands which Representative Rob Bishop says is considered a major win, especially for sportsmen, hunters, and fishermen across America. Of the ten sections in the Act that are specific to Utah, three directly affect the Uintah Basin. Section 1115 is the Outdoor Recreation Access and Enhancement via McCoy Flats Trail System Designation, which ensures that the 35 miles of bike trails located west of Vernal are protected indefinitely. Section 1117 is the Uintah County Land Conveyance and Ashley Karst National Recreation and Geologic Area Designation. This establishes 170,000 acres of the Ashley National Forest as a national recreation and geologic area. It also conveys nearly 800 acres of land at Ashley Springs to Uintah County in order to protect the watershed for Vernal and the greater area. Uintah County Deputy Attorney Jonathan Stearmer explains that Uintah County will own the land and then work with Vernal City and the water district. Finally, Section 1118 is the John Wesley Powell National Conservation Area Designation. This establishes over 29,800 acres north of Dinosaur National Monument as conservation area named after Powell to commemorate the 150th anniversary of his Green River expedition. This section, explains Stearmer, is significant because it locks in grazing rights as well as existing roads for recreational use. It also allows for habitat manipulation for managing sage grouse populations. There have been different versions of this lands bill for the last 5 years and while this is a scaled down version, Stearmer says it is still accomplishing positive things for our area.
